Anna Kepner murder case: family marks one year since cruise ship death
Anna Kepner's family held a memorial at Titusville High School a year after the 18-year-old was found dead on a Carnival cruise ship. Her stepbrother faces trial in January 2027.
Family honours Anna Kepner one year after cruise ship killing
The family of Anna Kepner, an 18-year-old cheerleader found dead aboard a Carnival cruise ship in November 2025, gathered at Titusville High School last Friday to mark a year since her death, The Sun reports.
Friends and relatives planted flowers and released butterflies in her memory. "Anna loved butterflies, so we thought that would be a good thing to do for her," her father, Christopher Kepner, said.
Anna was a senior at Titusville High School and a varsity cheerleader who had planned to join the military after graduation. Her grandmother, Barbara Kepner, remembered her as someone who brought warmth to everyone around her.
"She loved everything and everybody," Barbara Kepner said. "She could be really girly, girly, and then she could be tomboyish. She loved to sing. She loved gymnastics. She loved her siblings. She just loved life, and she lit up the room when she walked in."
Stepbrother charged with first-degree murder
Anna's stepbrother, Timothy Hudson, who was 16 at the time, has been charged with first-degree murder and aggravated sexual abuse. He has pleaded not guilty and will be tried as an adult. A trial date has been set for January 2027; if convicted, he could face life in prison.
Anna's body was discovered by a shipboard attendant underneath a bed in her cabin, covered with blankets and life vests. Her death was ruled a homicide caused by asphyxiation. Christopher Kepner previously told MailOnline that he had checked his daughter's pulse and pulled her from beneath the bed himself, realising she was dead before medical personnel arrived.
Anna had been on a six-day Caribbean cruise with her family. The night before her body was found, she had returned to the cabin she shared with Hudson and her 14-year-old biological brother, telling relatives she was not feeling well. When she failed to appear for breakfast the following morning, her family raised the alarm.
Prosecution argues Hudson poses danger to community
The case has drawn sustained attention as prosecutors have pressed for Hudson to be held in custody while awaiting trial. At a March hearing in federal court in Miami, Hudson appeared before US Magistrate Judge Edwin Torres as attorneys debated whether he should remain free under electronic monitoring or be taken into custody.
The judge maintained an existing order permitting Hudson to live with his uncle, the Ziske family, under electronic monitoring. In June, however, the court ruled that Hudson should be held closer to his home in Hernando County or transferred to Miami, with prosecutors again arguing he represented a danger to the community.
Assistant US Attorney Alejandra L. Lopez told the court that Hudson allegedly strangled Anna for three to five minutes, with such force that her eardrum ruptured. Prosecutors also alleged that DNA evidence recovered from Anna's body connected Hudson to the crime, and that evidence indicated she had been sexually assaulted. Surveillance footage, they argued, showed Anna and Hudson alone in their cabin for approximately three hours, with no one else entering or leaving.
Hudson was initially charged as a juvenile before prosecutors moved to have the case transferred to adult court. He entered his not guilty plea to first-degree murder and aggravated sexual abuse in February.
Hudson has reportedly told family members he does not remember what happened that night. Barbara Kepner previously described him as a "good student" who generally kept to himself, while acknowledging she believed he had struggled with personal issues.
Family vows to keep Anna's memory alive
Christopher Kepner has repeatedly criticised the decision to allow Hudson to remain with relatives while the legal process continues.
Despite the ongoing proceedings, Anna's family say they are determined to preserve her memory. "We have other grandchildren," Barbara Kepner said. "We want them to know who she was and how much she loved them. And we're going to keep her memory going forever."
Source: The Sun